ARGENTINE OPEN

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32777, 30 November 1971, Page 16

ARGENTINE OPEN

Victory to Franulovic

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BUENOS AIRES.

The No. 3 seed, Z. Franulovic, of Jugoslavia, won the Argentine Open lawn tennis tournament with a straightsets victory over I. Nastase, of Rumania, the second seed. Franulovic, who beat the No. 1 seed, S. Smith of the United States, in the semifinals defeated Nastase, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1. Despite the defeat, Nastase finished runner-up in the 1971 Pepsi Grand Prix, 15 points behind Smith’s winning total of 187. Franulovic, with 129 points, ousted Czechoslovakia’s J. Kodes from third place.

Franulovic is one of the players who will contest the I.L.T.F. Masters’ Tournament. Others are the Americans, Smith and C. Richey, Nastase, Kodes and the Frenchman, P. Barthes. K. R. Rosewall (Australia), of the W.C.T., has told the I.L.T.F. he will not be able to take part in the final because of urgent family reasons.

In the men’s doubles finals of the Argentine Open, Franulovic and Nastase teamed up to beat P. Cornejo and J. Fillol, of Chile, who retired after the second set when dust got into Cornejo’s contact lens. Franulovic and Nastase won the opening two sets, 6-4, 6-4.

In an all-German women’s singles final Miss Niessen beat Mrs H. Orth, 6-4, 7-5. Mrs Niessen and Mrs Orth then went on to win the women's doubles final by beating Miss R. Giscafre and Miss A. M. Pinto Bravo, of Argentina, 6-2, 6-0.